by contracting marriage; therefore those, or any three of them, are empowered to call them before them; and if the premises be found to be true, to deprive and turn them out of their bishoprics. This I have put into the Collection, with another comCollection, mission to the same persons, to call the bishops of Lincoln, Gloucester and Numb.11, 12. Hereford, before them; in whose patents it was provided that they should hold their bishoprics so long as they behaved themselves well; and since they, by preaching erroneous doctrine and by inordinate life and conversation, as she credibly understood, had carried themselves contrary to the laws of God, and the practice of the universal church, these or any two of them should proceed against them, either according to ecclesiastical canons or the law of the land, and declare their bishoprics void, as they were indeed already void thus were seven bishops all at a dash turned out. It was much censured, that there having been laws made, allowing marriage to the clergy, the queen should by her own authority, upon the repealing these laws, turn out bishops for things that had been so well warranted by law; for the repeal was only an annulling of the law for the future, but did not void it from the beginning; so that however it might have justified proceedings against them for the future, if they had lived with their wives; yet it could not warrant the punishing them for what was past; and even the severest popes, or their legates, who had pressed the cœlibate most, had always, before they proceeded to deprive any priests for marriage, left it to their choice, whether they would quit their wives, or their benefices; but had never summarily turned them out for being married: and for the other bishops, it was an unheard-of way of procedure for the queen, before any process was made, to empower delegates to declare their sees void, as they were indeed already void. This was to give sentence before hearing. And all this was done by virtue of the queen's supremacy; for though she thought that a sinful and schismatical power, yet she was easily persuaded to use it against the reformed clergy, and to turn them out of their benefices upon such unjust and illegal pretences. So that now the proceedings against Gardiner and Bonner, in which were the greatest stretches made that had been in the last reign, were far outdone by those new delegates. For the archbishop of York, though he was now turned out, yet he was still kept prisoner, till king Philip, among the acts of grace he did at his coming over, procured his liberty. But his see was not filled till February next; for then Heath had his congé d'élire. On or before the 18th of March this year, were those other sees declared vacant. For that day did the congé d'élire go out to the deans and chapters of St. David's, Lincoln, Hereford, Chester, Gloucester and Bristol; for Morgan, White, Parfew, Coates, Brooks, and Holyman. Goodrick of Ely died in May this year. He seems to have complied with the time, as he had done often before; for he was not at all cast into any trouble which it cannot be imagined he could have escaped, since he had put the great seal to the patents for the lady Jane, if he had not redeemed it by a ready consenting to the changes that were to be made. IIe was a busy secular-spirited man, and had given himself up wholly to factions and intrigues of state; so that though his opinion had always leaned to the Reformation, it is no wonder if a man so tempered would prefer the keeping of his bishopric before the discharge of his conscience. Thirleby of Norwich was translated to Ely, and Hopton was made bishop of Norwich*. But Scory, that had been bishop of Chichester, though upon Day's being restored, he was turned out of his bishopric, did comply merely ; he came before Bonner, and renounced his wife, and did penance for it, and had his absolution under his seal, the 14th of July this year; which is in the Collection. Number 13. But it seems this was out of fear; for he soon after fled out of England, and lived beyond sea until queen Elizabeth's days; and then he came over; but it was judged indecent to restore him to his former sec, where it is likely this scandal ho had given was known, and so he was made bishop of Hereford. The bishop of Bath and Wells, Barlow, was also made to resign, as appears by the congé d'élire for Bourn to succeed him, dated the 19th of March. Therein it is said that the see was vacant by the resignation of the former bishop; though in the election that was made on the 28th of March, it is said the see was vacant by the removal or deprivation of their former bishop. But I incline to believe it

*Hopton, by the Regist. of Cant., was consecrated on the 28th of October; Anthony Harmer, p. 134, says it was the 25th of October.-STRYPE'S CORRECT.

1564.-Book II.]

491

lewdness, and as being a corrupter of all the university; which Balduin certified in a letter to one in England, that took care to print it.

It was also printed, that Bonner had many bastards; and himself was believed to be the bastard of one Savage, a priest in Leicestershire, that had been bastard to sir John Savage of Cheshire. Which priest, by Elizabeth Frodshum, the wife of one Edmond Bonner, had That this Edmond now bishop of London; and it seems his mother did not soon give over those her lewd courses, for Wymsly, archdeacon of London, was another of her bastards. kennel of the uncleanness of the priests and religious houses was again on this occasion raked and exposed with too much indecency; for the married priests, being openly accused for the impurity and sensuality of their lives, thought it was a just piece of self-defence, to turn these imputations back on those who pretended to chastity, and yet led most irregular lives, under that appearance of greater strictness.

liament.

This was the state in which things were when the new parliament met on the 2d of April. Gardiner had beforehand prepared the commons, by giving the most considerable A New Par- of them pensions; some had 2001. and some 100l. a year, for giving their voices to the marriage. The first act that passed, seemed of an odd nature, and has a great secret under it. The speaker of the house of commons brought in a bill, declaring, that whereas the queen had of right succeeded to the crown; but because all the laws of England had been made by kings, and declared the prerogatives to be in the The Regal Power assert- king's person; from thence some might pretend that the queen had no right to ed to be in a them; it was therefore declared to have been the law, that these prerogatives Queen as well did belong to the crown, whether it were in the hands of male or female; and as a King. whatsoever the law did limit and appoint for the king, was of right also due to the queen, who is declared to have as much authority as any other of her progenitors.

that Act.

Gul. Petyt.

Many in the house of commons wondered what was the intention of such a law; and as The Secret people were at this time full of jealousy, one Skinner, a member of the house, Reasons for (who in queen Elizabeth's time took orders, and was made dean of Durham) said, he could not imagine why such a frivolous law was desired, since the thing was Ex M. SS. D. without dispute; and that that which was pretended of satisfying the people, was too slight; he was afraid there was a trick in these words, that the queen had as great authority as any of her progenitors; on which perhaps it might be afterwards said she had the same power that William the Conqueror exercised in seizing the lands of the English and giving them to strangers; which also Edward I. did upon the conquest of Wales. He did not know what relation this might have to the intended marriage, therefore he warned the house to look well to it; so a committee being appointed to correct it, such words were added as brought the queen's prerogative under the same limitations, as well as it exalted it to the height of her progenitors. But one Fleetwood, afterwards recorder of London, told the earl of Loicestor the secret of this in queen Elizabeth's time, who writ down his discourse, and from thence I have copied it. There was one that had been Cromwell's servant, and much employed by him in the suppression of monasteries; he was a man of great notions, but very busy and factious; so having been a great stickler for the lady Jane, he was put in the Fleet upon the queen's first coming to the crown; yet within a month he was discharged; but upon the last rising was again put up, and indicted of high treason; he had great friends, and made application to one of the emperor's ambassadors, that was then the chancellor of the duchy of Milan, and by his means he obtained his liberty. Being brought to him, he showed him a new platform of government, which he had contrived for the queen. She was to declare herself a conqueror; or that she having succeeded to the crown by common law, was not at all to be limited by the statute laws, since those were only restrictions upon the kings, but not on the queens of England; and that therefore all those limitations of the prerogative were only binding in the persons of kings, but she was free from them: upon this, he showed how she might establish religion, set up the monasteries, raise her friends, and ruin her enemies, and rule according to her pleasure. The ambassador carried this to the queen, and seemed much pleased with it, but desired her to read it carefully, and keep it as a great secret.

As she read it, she disliked it, and judged it contrary to the oath she had made at her